Unexpected pleasures...

The other day I was weeding in the garden...(not my favorite job)...there are weeds and moss everywhere...as soon as I circle the property...it is time to circle back around and start all over again. It does seem that every time I weed, I find fun little surprises that nature gives to us, just to keep me entertained...sometimes it is just the way the sun is hitting the flowers or a bird that is near and singing...here is what I found this day...

looks like ordinary weeds in the northwest, doesn't it? but look really, really close....

see the red color? I had to get my glasses to investigate and I also grabbed my camera....

little red decorations on the moss....how absolutely fascinating!!!!

to think that God had taken the time to decorate the moss, just for me, and for you too...just for our unexpected viewing pleasure...What a wonderful, wonderful world!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Rhubarb Martini...

This really might be my last rhubarb post this year...maybe, well maybe not, I can't promise...but, I live right by the rhubarb capital of the world, Sumner Washington, my hometown, the town I grew up in. There is rhubarb sold everywhere...I don't think I have ever heard of a rhubarb martini...but it sounded so fabulous, that I thought I should give it a try...I started with making a rhubarb simple syrup and cooling it and then made the martini using it with 1 part to 2 parts vodka...it actually tastes a little like a cosmopolitan...so fruity and light...think a lemon drop, but with rhubarb....hmmmm..

Rhubarb simple syrup
2 cups cut rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes...then strain and place in the fridge to wait for your martini's...

it is the prettiest color...very rosy.....

start with putting just a hair of vermouth in your cocktail shaker and swirl it around and then pour it out...you just need a tad...then add ice, your simple syrup and favorite vodka....give it several really good shakes, like 20 and then...

pour in your martini glass...

garnish with a lime wheel or orange wheel and of course your rhubarb stir stick....it is the rosiest most beautiful pink color...

invite your friends over,(or your favorite cousin Susan) wear funny hats and have a mar-tea-ni party!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Rhubarb-Orange Marmalade...

Rhubarb-Orange Marmalade

Hope you are not tired of Rhubarb! I do love it...I finally planted a few of my own plants this year...I need my own supply..this is a great recipe...Rhubarb and Orange marmalade....what a great combination. It is the prettiest color...sort of a cross between salmon and rose...this jam would work well served with pork or brushed on chicken as it is baking...


Rhubarb-Orange Marmalade

makes about six 4-oz jars

6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
5 cups sugar
2 medium oranges
Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a large heavy pot. Cut the oranges into quarters, removing any seeds, and grind them (including the peels) in a food processor. Add them to the rhubarb and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring often, until marmalade sheets from a spoon, about 1 hour. If you don't have a heavy bottomed pot you might want to use a heat diffuser to avoid burning.

Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Adjust the caps and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.

just a few simple ingredients.....no pectin...

add the rhubarb to a heavy bottom pan and add the sugar...

slice your oranges, peel and all....

pulse all in the food processor until ground up, pretty good...

add to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour...

this is about ready.....hmmm I bet this would be good with a few pieces of fresh ginger in it....maybe next time...

here is the jars processing...since I only had a few jars I didn't want to get out my big canner so I processed them in my 'big pan'...to keep them from clunking together I dropped a few.....

dish cloths in there....it works great!

line your jars up on a towel so you can look at your rewards for a few days..

and enjoy some of the best and loveliest jam you have ever had!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Gluten-free

Who would of ever thought that I would of had a Gluten intolerance? Not me, that is for sure! I have had a personal relationship with all things bread...I love bread, chewy, yeasty artisan bread. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner...a quick meal? Of course a piece of bread and a slather of peanut butter and you are good to go!  You have a stomach ache, a piece of dry  toast...a comforting snack , a piece of cinnamon toast...heck, when we were children we often had broken bread in a bowl with sugar and milk on top..

I came about finding out about this on my own and I actually stumbled onto it quite accidentally.  I will try to make this story short. In 2004 I had shingles...not a very fun illness..I thought shingles was something like scabies..I was shocked as could be, so was the Doctor...usually shingles is reserved for old people and people with aids or cancer...or people who's immune system is down for various reasons....He deduced mine was brought on by stress and I became the poster girl for shingles..I certainly have compassion for anyone going through that horrific pain...about 2 years after that I started having terrible pain in my head and neck, it would start in my neck and shoot straight up through my head like an electric shock...the doctor said it was the shingles that had come back and were now on the nerves in my neck...He called it Postherpetic Neuralgia ..he gave me an antiviral prescription and said there is not much you can do for it....

this pain would come and go...and was stress related, if I was highly stressed at work I would surely have a painful episode..I tried every relaxing technique I could find...that is actually how cheers to happy came about...I concentrated on all things that made me happy...still, I would have this violent pain...recently I was doing research on PHN and found that alot of the problem is caused by a weakened immune system and you can boost your immune system in several ways...to quit eating all grains, coconut, chocolate and nuts...and take vitamin B complex, vitamin C and D3 pills.... I was game and gave it a whirl....after only a few days I felt great! Energetic, pain free....after a week or so I had something with wheat in it,( gravy at work) and I immediately got sick and my head was in a huge fog...I couldn't think, it was like being terribly drugged on huge pain pills...it took a day for it to wear off...then it happened again, when I had something with barley in it....I had a feeling I was allergic to some kind of grain...

I made an appointment with a Naturopathic Doctor and he confirmed what I had known...he said there was only one way to actually test for Celiac's disease and that was to go back on the wheat, and I told him there was no reason to do that...I didn't have to know that bad...oh and one more thing...he asked me who told me I had PHN..I said my doctor diagnosed it...he said that shingles doesn't do that..it doesn't go away and then come back on your neck...he asked if I had been to a chiropractor and that I probably had a pinched vertebrae and the vertebrae was pinching a nerve...then he cracked my neck and the rest is history....

Having a food allergy takes your immune system down, it has to do with the small intestine and it gets real scientific, it is an inherited disease, and runs in families, most people are undiagnosed...they say one in one hundred people are Celiac,....you can contract all kinds of diseases and sickness and many can be traced back to your allergy that weakens your immune system....

I have been voraciously studying all things gluten...it is amazing how much information is on the Internet..I can't believe some of the symptoms that people with Gluten allergies experience...I have had so many bonus side effects that have gone away since going gluten-free...no more rosacea on my cheeks, no more swollen fingers...no more swollen cheeks, (I hated the swollen chipmunk look)  no more swollen tongue...no more hip pain...no more head pain....no more feelings of doom...clarity in my head like I have never felt....and I feel great!....I feel like running in a room and screeching to a halt and screaming  "I'm Back!"

I have no desire to cheat and eat gluten...it is bad enough when I accidentally eat something with gluten in it...I have become very careful.......I do not want to become one of those people who make a big deal out of gluten and talk about it all the time and make everyone accommodate them...I was actually not going to even mention it on my blog...but I know that would be dishonest. I will continue the blog exactly as I have... I will do my best to mention when and how you can substitute for gluten free....lucky for all of us that the most wonderful, healthy foods do not even contain gluten...I hope telling my story helps someone...I do, want to say again I had NO gluten intolerance symptoms...I stumbled on this...and I have not felt this good in years...I am not sure how many of you are out there...but I hope all of you find health...without our health we have nothing...

Cheers to Happy  !!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad Dressing...

Rhubarb is finally getting the respect it so deserves...Chef's all over the world are getting very creative with it...they are using it in drinks, sauces, marinades, salads and of course desserts...they are pairing it with wine, citrus, and ginger...Now is the time to load the freezer with fresh Rhubarb...it freezes very well just slice and put in zip lock bags...it can be used frozen for pies in the winter....                               I found this recipe from Paula Deen...I tweaked it a bit...just to match what I had in the cupboard...I love Strawberry's and I love Rhubarb....this is a great marriage...this dressing is mild and fruity...I love fruity dressing...this is great on any salad!

Strawberry Rhubarb Salad Dressing...
1/8 cup honey
1/4cup water
1 cup sliced rhubarb (about 1-2 stalks)
1 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 diced red onion
3 tablespoons cup white wine vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil


Directions
In a medium sauce pan, stir together honey and water. Bring to a boil and add rhubarb, strawberries and onions. Continue to boil for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat and stir in vinegar and lemon zest. Simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half and rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Place mixture in a blender along with the Dijon mustard and process until smooth. With blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold on your favorite salad greens.

boil water and honey together...



after it gets boiling add the sliced Rhubarb and Strawberries and onion... adding 1 cup of each to the boiling water...

boil and reduce to half...your house will smell like strawberry rhubarb jam....

pour into the blender and...let's stop right here...I know a lady that is on a special diet...and can't have the oil, this would make a great salad dressing right now with no oil....

put the top of the blender on with the center thing taken out......slowly pour the oil through the hole in the blender lid.....

This is such a happy dressing...it says spring and lazy summer days...

Cheers to Happy  !!

Epsom Salt...

The Wonder of Magnesium
Epsom Salts are a pure mineral compound (magnesium sulfate) in crystal form. The crystals are formed from evaporated brine pools in the earths crust. Epsom salt is a combination of magnesium and sulfates. There are many benefits of Epsom salt baths. Soaking in a bath of Epsom salts can relax your muscles, reduce inflammation, minimize pain, fade bruising, aid digestion, relieve stress and tension, and detoxify your body.


Epsom Salt contains Magnesium which is an important electrolyte in the body and is required for effective nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Magnesium helps strengthen bones by playing a role in calcium regulation. It is believed to be involved in sugar metabolism and insulin release assisting in the prevention of diabetes and contributes to the control of blood pressure reducing strokes and heart attacks. The majority of magnesium is stored in our bones, cells and organs but the body maintains a small level, about 1%, in our blood at constant levels. Our body does not make magnesium, so we must either get it from either the food we eat or supplement it in our diet....Our grandparents have been using Epsom Salts for years....they sure were smart!

Epsom salt – actually magnesium sulfate – has been used therapeutically for hundreds of years, and it’s gaining a new generation of fans looking for a safe, economical alternative in a sea of expensive, over-the-counter remedies. Epsom salt is one of the most versatile household products, with uses ranging from creating at-home spa treatments to soothing achy muscles to helping start or improve gardens. It’s easy to use, easy to find in your local pharmacy or grocery store and it costs about the same per use as a cup of coffee.Raising the body's level of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.
So a realxing soak in the tub with a few cups of Epsom Salts is some of the best medicine we can give ourselves or a half of cup in a dishpan to soak your tired feet in...both will relax you so much you will have to pour yourself in bed...it pulls the toxins out and puts the magnesium in..

Also Epsom Salt has been used for years as a natural food for plants. It is a critical mineral for seed germination. Vital to the production of chlorophyll, which plants use to transform sunlight into food.
An aid in the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen, two of the most important fertilizer components.
It is also impossible to over use...Start with a few tablespoon added around your plants, bushes and flowers and water in...and watch the change...

I have turned into a huge fan of this ordinary box of salts that had been under the bathroom sink all the years I was growing up...pull out your box and start using it...it will make a difference to beautify your life...inside and out!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Funny Chickens...

When I walk out the back door this is what I see....my chickens running to me....they crack me up when the run...they lean forward and can really run fast...this is Red...probably the most aggressive...she is very friendly and a good layer too...

this is Red and Buttercup..looking at the grass to see if I threw something out for them...nope nothing here...

this is America...saying what the heck there is nothing here....

That is MaMa in the back...she is small and black, she used to be in charge, but things changed and now she is on the bottom of the ladder....I said ok, come with me back to the chicken house and I will get some sunflower seeds for you...

I am walking and they are chasing me....it is my own groupies...I could never get anyone to chase after me like this...

they are rounding the corner...MaMa..took the shortcut through the flower beds...she always does and it is really longer, not shorter...and yes there is really that much moss on the brick...oi vay, I have my work cut out for me...

still running...

ok now they have their seeds...they will do almost anything for sunflower seeds.....

oh my chickens are the happiest, funnest little animals...

Cheers to Happy  !!